italocanadesehttp://italocanadese.com
Urban Italian CanadianTue, 05 Dec 2017 16:56:35 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.14Un Momento with Mary di Michelehttp://italocanadese.com/2017/12/05/un-momento-with-mary-di-michele/
Tue, 05 Dec 2017 16:56:35 +0000http://italocanadese.com/?p=2872...continued]]>Mary di Michele is one of the most gifted and prolific writers in Canada. She has written a dozen books, is a novelist, essayist, poet and a professor of creative writing at Concordia University. She has won numerous awards and was one of the founding members of the Association of Italian Canadian Writers. Her latest book of poetry is an excellent example of the depth of her writing and the power of her words.

Why did you write your new collection of poetry, Bicycle Thieves?

I suppose the triggering incidents were the death of my mother and then my father. The impulse to write poetry was to commemorate, the form, elegiac.

Would you say this collection is about looking back for you?

Yes, the overall epigraph for the book is from John Banville: “The past beats inside me like a second heart.” It’s a retrospective view; the middle section, “Life Sentences” is an autobiography that is about my life and artistic influences.

What was the greatest inspiration for writing this book?

The book is a collection of poems, so many have individual sources of inspiration, for example, “Death and Transfiguration in New York City” was initially a response to the execution of Timothy McVeigh and how the attacks of 9/11 changed the conversation about terrorism. It seems timely again with the rise of fascism, neo-Nazis or as the nomenclature has it now the “alt-right.” Alt-right sounds like a computer keyboard command! The past, the history we ignore comes back to bite us. What unites the poems in the collection is the keen sense of mortality, the past, whether from life experience or history, and the shadows and light it casts on the present.

How does the haiku form influence your poetry?

Writing in haiku forms has influenced my writing in general; I now use fewer figures of speech and more direct imagery. In particular, it influenced the form of “Life Sentences;” haiku is a form that seeks to capture the moment. I think we remember our lives in such moments, in spots of time rather than a continuous narrative. My autobiographical poem is a montage of such moments.

Does your Italian background play any part in how and or what you write?

Yes, it’s part of me, I was born in Italy, spent my early childhood there, Italian language, landscape, and culture provide a continuing source of inspiration.

You have written, novels, essays and poetry. Which do you find most challenging?

The novel is the most challenging, you have to carry a whole world and time in your head; it requires concentration and endurance, long days spent writing and over years for me to complete one.

What are Yoko’s Dogs and how does it play into your own work?

We are four poets who have been writing collaboratively using and adapting forms of Japanese linked poetry – Basho crossed with some Dada. We’ve been writing together for eleven years now. Our first book, Whisk, was published by Pedlar Press in 2013. We had a chapbook published last year from Gaspereau called Rhinoceros. We are working on a manuscript for a second full-length book. I love writing this way, with others, sparking off one another. I always thought of writing as a kind of conversation, one where the angel does not distinguish between the living and the dead. But it’s a virtual one for the most part. With Yoko’s Dogs, it’s immediate and visceral, at least the few times a year we’re able to meet as we live in different parts of the country. The practice has energized me. It has taught me writing as a boisterous and joyful practice. They say that there are two kinds of writers, those who feel damned and write to try to redeem themselves and those who write to play. In my own writing I’m that first kind of writer, as Yoko’s Dogs I get to play.

Was your recent trip to Japan inspirational?

There’s a character in Kawabata’s novel, Snow Country, who is an expert on European ballet but has never been to Europe. His character likes to keep his ‘passions’ on the virtual plane. Oh I’m not like him! Although it took me so many years before actually going to Japan, I finally did it. The visit confirmed my love for its literature and culture as real, as true.

What is your favourite place in Montreal and why?

I love Bethune Square. It’s near the building where I teach at Concordia. I nod to the great man on my way to the office. How did he get there, this man from Gravenhurst, Ontario, who was a hero in China? I’m no hero, but I identify with him as placed and displaced person in Montreal. He has a cameo in the A.M. Klein tribute poem, “The Mountain After Klein” in Bicycle Thieves.

What is your writing routine? Do you have a favourite pair of house slippers you wear while writing?

I’m a morning writer; I like working in my pyjamas just like Derrida – who knew! – until I have to leave the house. I wear warm slippers, Sorels, in winter, flipflops in summer. But they are not the essential element for writing, what’s essential is coffee, and reading a line or two of poetry to get my brain thinking in language again.

Do you have any advice for young writers who feel,”poetry is just not being read so how can I write it?”

If they read poetry, it is being read. If poetry is a conversation over the centuries, as I believe, then there are thousands of years and millions or trillions of readers, an ever-growing number of readers: those reading and those who have read, those writing and those who have written – poetry is an echo chamber, a portal to time travel. But if they don’t read poetry, yeah, it’s not worth doing.

What are you working on lately?

I am in that fallow period (the glass is slowly refilling) or desert (the glass is empty) between books in terms of my own writing. This always happens to me, each book feels like it will be my last book. But Yoko’s Dogs is active, we’re close to finishing a new manuscript for a book. And we are also developing performance as an aspect of our writing practice. I’m learning new things there and it’s exciting.

]]>Italian-Canadian student creates scholarship fundhttp://italocanadese.com/2017/11/06/italian-canadian-student-creates-scholarship-fund/
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 00:05:40 +0000http://italocanadese.com/?p=2864...continued]]>When 23-year old Cessidia De Biasio is not pursuing her graduate studies at the University of Windsor, she is putting her time and effort into a scholarship fund that she herself created in honour of her late grandmother.

“The Addolorata De Luca Leadership Scholarship combined my two passions, the need for affordable education and the preservation of our families’ stories by providing future generations with opportunities our ancestors never had. I sincerely believe that no matter your family’s country of origin, we all share something in common; we are all here today thanks to our ancestors who paved the way for us,” she explains in her mission statement.

De Biasio was only four years old when her Nonna Addolorata passed away. Yet she has a vivid memory of her grandmother, her backyard garden, her chickens, and the family meals she orchestrated. She cherishes dearly the last photograph she posed for with her Nonna at a cousin’s wedding with “Nonna in her blue dress.”

De Biasio grew up hearing stories about her four grandparents, the struggles they faced and the sacrifices they made for their families. Her Nonna Addolorata in particular would become a widow during WWII with five young children to care for, including De Biasio’s mother who was only six months old at the time.

De Biasio was born and raised in Ontario’s Windsor-Essex, one of the most diverse communities in Canada. She was always well aware that her comfortable upbringing and her access to good education was a gift, afforded to her by her parents’ and grandparents’ hard work. She wanted to do something that could help others who were not as lucky as her.

“We complain today, but we experience no where close to what they went through,” De Biasio comments.

Thus far, the Scholarship has raised just under $20,000. De Biasio hopes to reach the $40,000 mark in the coming years. Once the Scholarship raises $25,000, the application and selection process to award the first scholarship will start, with the end goal of awarding one University of Windsor student a $1,500 scholarship every year.

De Biasio is the youngest person to ever approach her university about creating an endowment fund.

“It’s a learning curve for both sides,” De Biasio muses.

In the meantime, De Biasio is set to complete her degree before the end of the year, and will start on her MBA soon after.

De Biasio admits that the process has had – as with any charity endeavour – its challenges.

“I always try to remember the purpose of this scholarship. And my family has been great. My parents have been very supportive. They’ve kept me level-headed and motivated to keep going.”

The Scholarship has started a campaign with rareapparel.ca, selling “Future Proof” t-shirts with proceeds going to the Scholarship. Individuals and companies can also make direct donations to the fund.

To learn more about the Addolorata De Luca Leadership Scholarship, please visit www.adlscholarship.com. You can also follow the Scholarship on Facebook.

]]>Montreal’s Italian Week 2017 – The Scopa Winnershttp://italocanadese.com/2017/08/16/montreals-italian-week-2017-the-scopa-winners/
Wed, 16 Aug 2017 04:21:44 +0000http://italocanadese.com/?p=2855...continued]]>Montreal’s Italian Week festivities wrapped up on Sunday in Little Italy and so did our fifth annual Scopa Tournament. Hosted by Italocanadese and the Order of the Sons of Italy Montreal, in collaboration with Italian Week, the tournament brought out an eclectic mix of players.

In the end, first time tournament participants Remo Scappaticci and Dominic Cusmano stood victorious. Cecilia Fazioni and Rosalba Stinziani came in a close second. In third place were Maria Tosti and Liliana Battista.

Order of the Sons of Italy Montreal president Joe Fratino and administrative secretary Sonia Faoro, along with Italocanadese.com founder and editor Agata De Santis, were on hand to present the winners with their medals.

Congratulations to all the participants! See you next year!

]]>Montreal’s Italian Week 2017 – Day Tenhttp://italocanadese.com/2017/08/13/montreals-italian-week-2017-day-ten/
Sun, 13 Aug 2017 15:04:20 +0000http://italocanadese.com/?p=2853...continued]]>Mother Nature is cooperating with Montreal’s Italian Week, and as a result, the last day of the festival is going to be a darling one.

The Maria-Auxiliatrice Parish in Rivière-des-Prairies ends its annual outdoor feast today with performances by circus artist David Fiset and Nunzio Tiano and the Millenium Orchestra, followed by fireworks at 10:00PM.

Dozens and dozens of kiosks continue to line up Little Italy (on Saint-Laurent Boulevard from Rue Jean Talon to Saint-Zotique) today from 1:00PM to 11:00PM.

On the Jean Talon Stage (corner St-Laurent Boulevard and Rue Jean Talon), comedian Joe Cacchione hosts the Best Cannoli Contest at 2:00PM. The jury will be: everyone’s favorite puppet Nonna Maria, CBC weatherman Frank Cavallaro, Antonio Giorgi from TLN, and chef Davide Bazzalli. After the content, pianist Giancarlo Scalia and soprano Sophie de Cruz will perform at 5:30PM, followed by The Maxwells at 7:30PM.

The 5th annual Scopa Tournament, hosted by Italocanadese and the Order of the Sons of Italy in Canada, wraps up today at 3:30PM with the semi-final round, followed at 4:30PM with the finals. In the evening, the Scopa Tent, on St-Laurent Boulevard between Belanger and Dante streets, is open to anyone and everyone who wishes to enjoy a friendly hand of scopa with friends or other festival goers.

Montreal’s Italian Week will conclude with an outdoor opera at 9:00PM tonight, on the Mastro & San Daniele stage (corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Zotique). Cavalleria Rusticana will be conducted by Giancula Martinenghi. On stage, Caroline Bleau, Thomas McLeary, Alexandre Sylvestre, Marianne Lambert and Geneviève Lévesque will play their respective roles as Santuzza, Turiddu, Alfio, Lola and Lucia.

The 5th annual Scopa Tournament, hosted by Italocanadese and the Order of the Sons of Italy in Canada, is set to start at 2:00PM today. In the evening, the Scopa Tent, on St-Laurent Boulevard between Belanger and Dante streets, is open to anyone and everyone who wishes to enjoy a friendly hand of scopa with friends or other festival goers. The Scopa Tournament finals will take place at 4:30PM tomorrow.

On the Jean Talon Stage (corner St-Laurent Boulevard and Rue Jean Talon), today’s line up will be: the Beavertails eating contest at 2:30PM, followed by singers Marco Sanelli (5:00PM), Franco Perrotta (6:00PM), and Mike Melino (7:00PM).

Galerie Erga is also the venue for Sinergia 2017, an exhibit of works by eight Italian-Canadian: Angeloro, Faustina A. Bilotta, Frank Caracciolo, Domenico Antonio Di Guglielmo, Ida Marinaro Fanzolato, Alfonso Fiengo, Gianni Giuliano, and Paolo Ruiz. The exhibit is open today and tomorrow from 10:00AM to 10:00PM.

Once again this year, the festival hosts its annual Moda Sotto le Stelle outdoor fashion show. The show starts at 9:30PM on the Mastro & San Daniele Stage (corner Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Zotique). This year, the show will feature the collections of Emy Armor, DUOMO, Maria Aricero, Mimmo Scali, Braccialini and Signor Terry, with music from DJ Fabio Russo.

Local folk singer Gianni Bodo will perform on the main stage at 8:00PM, just before the fashion show.

]]>Montreal’s Italian Week 2017 – Day Eighthttp://italocanadese.com/2017/08/11/montreals-italian-week-2017-day-eight/
Fri, 11 Aug 2017 17:28:14 +0000http://italocanadese.com/?p=2846...continued]]>The 24th edition of Montreal’s Italian Week enters its final weekend with three days of festivities in Little Italy, on St-Laurent Boulevard between St-Zotique and Jean Talon streets. Tonight’s headliner is Italian band, Fantasia Pura Italiana, performing tonight at 9:30PM on the Mastro & San Daniele stage (corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Zotique). This is the band’s first performance in Montreal. Ragazzi del Jukebox will open the show at 8:00PM.

Local folk singer Gianni Bodo will be on the main stage at 8:00PM tomorrow, Saturday, August 12, followed by the annual Moda Sotto le Stelle fashion show featuring Italian-Canadian designers.

The festival will conclude once again with the now famous outdoor opera on Sunday, August 13, at 9:00PM, on the Mastro & San Daniele stage. Cavalleria Rusticana will be conducted by Giancula Martinenghi. On stage, Caroline Bleau, Thomas McLeary, Alexandre Sylvestre, Marianne Lambert and Geneviève Lévesque will play their respective roles as Santuzza, Turiddu, Alfio, Lola and Lucia.

Wonders of Sicily by photographer Paolo Ruiz continues at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre until Sunday. The exhibit is open daily from 1:00PM to 6:00PM. Sinergia 2017 at Erga Gallery (6394 St-Laurent Boulevard) – also running until Sunday – features eight Italian-Canadian artists. The works of Giovanni Angeloro, Faustina A. Bilotta, Frank Caracciolo, Domenico Antonio Di Guglielmo, Ida Marinaro Fanzolato, Alfonso Fiengo, Gianni Giuliano, and Paolo Ruiz will be on display daily from 10:00AM to 10:00PM.

Amarrages sans frontières will once again offer guided tours of Little Italy. The tour will include stops at Casa d’Italia, Madonna della Difesa Church, and Dante Park. There will be a guided tour offered in French on August 12, at 2:00PM, and another in English on August 13 at 2:00PM. The cost is $22.00, with discounts for students, seniors, and children. Reservations are mandatory. Please call (514) 272-7049 to book a spot.

For a fifth year in a row, Italocanadese and the Order of the Sons of Italy in Canada, in collaboration with Montreal’s Italian Week, will host a Scopa tournament tomorrow and Sunday during the festivities in Little Italy. The Scopa Tent, on St-Laurent Boulevard between Belanger and Dante streets, opens today at 4:00PM, and will be open Saturday and Sunday from 1:00PM to 10:00PM. For folks who have not registered for the tournament, they will still have an opportunity to enjoy a friendly hand of scopa with friends or other festivalgoers.

Montreal’s Italian Week runs until Sunday, August 13. For the full festival program, please visit www.italianweek.ca.

]]>Montreal’s Italian Week 2017 – Day Sevenhttp://italocanadese.com/2017/08/10/montreals-italian-week-2017-day-seven/
Thu, 10 Aug 2017 16:57:17 +0000http://italocanadese.com/?p=2842...continued]]>Just before Montreal’s Italian Week sets up camp for its remaining three days in Little Italy, festival goers can enjoy a variety of events in different parts of the city.

The festivals’ spokesperson, local singer/songwriter Marco Calliari, will be at the Casa d’Italia (505 Rue Jean Talon Est) to perform an intimate concert featuring songs from his last album, One Night. The show starts at 8:00PM. Tickets are $20.00 and still available at the door.

Starting at 7:30PM tonight at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre (8370 Boulevard Lacordaire, Saint-Leonard), a lecture on “Frederick II: Empire, Culture and Poetry in Siciliy” will take place in the Centre’s Piccolo Theater. The presentation focuses on Sicily during the Middle Ages, and in particular on the cultural life of Emperor Frederick II’s court. By means of an itinerary of texts, images and music, the presentation will try to underline the multicultural character of Frederick’s court, which gathered chancellors, lawyers, poets and painters of Arabic, Sicilian, Latin and Provencal descent in a political project addressed to the entire Mediterranean world. Admission is free.

Wonders of Sicily by photographer Paolo Ruiz continues at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre until August 13. The exhibit is open daily from 1:00PM to 6:00PM.

At Parc Wilfrid-Bastien in Saint-Leonard, spectateurs can enjoy a free outdoor show by comedian Joe Cacchione at 7:30PM, Superfantastico at 8:00PM, and finally Ragazzi del Jukebox at 9:00PM. Also on site will be an exhibit of Fiat 500 cars.

For a fifth year in a row, Italocanadese and the Order of the Sons of Italy in Canada, in collaboration with Montreal’s Italian Week, will host a Scopa tournament on August 12 and 13 during the festivities in Little Italy. The Scopa Tent, on St-Laurent Boulevard between Belanger and Dante streets, will be open August 11, from 4:00PM to 10:00PM and August 12 and 13 from 1:00PM to 10:00PM. For folks who have not registered for the tournament, they will still have an opportunity to enjoy a friendly hand of scopa with friends or other festivalgoers.

Montreal’s Italian Week runs until Sunday, August 13. For the full festival program, please visit www.italianweek.ca.

Festival goers have two Italian films screening to choose from this evening: Malamuri by Federico Maio (Italian only) at Casa d’Italia; and Dominique Corti’s Un cammino per la vita (with English subtitles) at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre (8370 Boulevard Lacordaire, Saint-Leonard). Both screenings start at 7:00PM and are free of charge.

Wonders of Sicily by photographer Paolo Ruiz continues at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre until August 13. The exhibit is open daily from 1:00PM to 6:00PM. Sinergia 2017 at Erga Gallery (6394 St-Laurent Boulevard) – also running until August 13 – features eight Italian-Canadian artists. The works of Giovanni Angeloro, Faustina A. Bilotta, Frank Caracciolo, Domenico Antonio Di Guglielmo, Ida Marinaro Fanzolato, Alfonso Fiengo, Gianni Giuliano, and Paolo Ruiz will be on display Monday to Wednesday from 10:00AM to 6:00PM, and Thursday to Sunday from 10:00AM to 10:00PM.

Tickets are still available for tomorrow evening’s special performance by local singer/songwriter Marco Calliari at the Casa d’Italia. Calliari will perform songs from his latest album, One Night. The show starts at 8:00PM. For more details, please call (514) 279-6357.

Montreal’s Italian Week runs until Sunday, August 13. For the full festival program, please visit www.italianweek.ca.

A parade of Fiat 500’s are heading to the Dufresne-Nincheri Museum in east end Montreal! At 7:00PM tonight, the museum (2929 Avenue Jeanne-d’Arc, Montreal) will present a conference on the 60th anniversary of the Fiat 500. “The 500 – The big little car that has helped Italians grow” presentation will be led by Professor Erika Papagni, the Canadian coordinator for Fiat 500 Club Italia.

Wonders of Sicily by photographer Paolo Ruiz continues at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre (8370 Boulevard Lacordaire, Saint-Leonard) until August 13. The exhibit is open daily from 1:00PM to 6:00PM. Sinergia 2017 at Erga Gallery (6394 St-Laurent Boulevard) – also running until August 13 – features eight Italian-Canadian artists. The works of Giovanni Angeloro, Faustina A. Bilotta, Frank Caracciolo, Domenico Antonio Di Guglielmo, Ida Marinaro Fanzolato, Alfonso Fiengo, Gianni Giuliano, and Paolo Ruiz will be on display Monday to Wednesday from 10:00AM to 6:00PM, and Thursday to Sunday from 10:00AM to 10:00PM.

Three Italian films screen this evening: Emanuele Crialese’s Respiro (with French subtitles) at Casa d’Italia; the infamous Cinema Paradiso (with English subtitles) at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre; and Un cammino per la vita (with English subtitles) at downtown’s McCord Museum (690 Sherbrooke Street. All the screenings start at 7:00PM and are free of charge.

Montreal’s Italian Week runs until Sunday, August 13. For the full festival program, please visit www.italianweek.ca.

]]>Montreal’s Italian Week 2017 – Day Threehttp://italocanadese.com/2017/08/06/montreals-italian-week-2017-day-three/
Sun, 06 Aug 2017 15:48:44 +0000http://italocanadese.com/?p=2831...continued]]>On day three of Montreal’s Italian Week, the festival makes a pit stop in Laval – a first in it’s 24-year history.

From 2:00PM to 8:00PM at Lausanne Park (425 rue de Lausanne), festival goers can enjoy an exhibit of Fiat 500 cars, food kiosks, and games for the little ones. Performers will take the stage all day long, starting with the Orchestre d’Harmonie Leonardo da Vinci at 2:00PM, followed by Starfest (3:00PM), singers Gloria Polcari. Sandrine Fragasso, and Robert- Olivier Fragasso (4:00PM), and VAN and Marco Bocchicchio (5:00PM). Comedy will take center stage at 6:00PM with stand up from Gino Durante , Guido Grasso and Pino Pirillo. Singer Mike Melino will headline the day’s entertainment with a performance at 7:00PM.

If art is what you’re in the mood for today, the festival offers two free exhibitions. Wonders of Sicily by photographer Paolo Ruiz runs at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre (8370 Boulevard Lacordaire, Saint-Leonard) until August 13. The exhibit is open daily from 1:00PM to 6:00PM. Sinergia 2017 at Erga Gallery (6394 St-Laurent Boulevard) – also running until August 13 – features eight Italian-Canadian artists. The works of Giovanni Angeloro, Faustina A. Bilotta, Frank Caracciolo, Domenico Antonio Di Guglielmo, Ida Marinaro Fanzolato, Alfonso Fiengo, Gianni Giuliano, and Paolo Ruiz will be on display Monday to Wednesday from 10:00AM to 6:00PM, and Thursday to Sunday from 10:00AM to 10:00PM.

Two Italian films will screen this evening. Il Gattopardo by director Luchino Visconti will screen at Casa d’Italia. Emanuele Crialese’s Respiro will show at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre. Both screenings start at 7:00PM and are free of charge.